Plantster: Converting From Pantser

In my last post, I admitted that I am an under-writer and also 100% pantser. I’m wanting to change that!

Why?

Well, my beta readers noticed that in early drafts I would describe my characters at the end of a scene. It was becoming a joke because it happened in more than a couple chapters.

I asked myself, why did this happen?

My answer: We are a result of our experiences, which to me is plot! The more I wrote, the more I learned about my characters. I have conflict, I love dialog, but I didn’t care what they wore or how their hair is. Not right away. Those details didn’t help me write… so plot came first.

So my goal in becoming a plantser is to write deeper character arcs. I’ve learned I need to add emotional connections, emotional goals that exist before the plot turns into conflict. It will make my readers more invested, and help me slow down to explain the facial expressions, internal tension, and physical reactions better.

To be clear, I’m not trying to convert to a planner – I need to leave room for inspiration as it comes in pantsing. Panster do all of the writerly things: we have characters, and plots with rising action, conflict, and climax, all normal. But these are some techniques I’m going to research and try out to help me with my writing style.

1. Character Sheets
2. Outline Mapping Templates
   1. Snowflake Method
   2. Save the Cat Method
   3. Bookend Method
   4. Godzilla Outline
   5. Agenda or Timeline Method
3. Organization Tools
   1. Scrivener
   2. Ulysses
   3. Evernote – currently use this
   4. Trello
4. Mind Mapping Tools
   1. Miro
   2. Scapple
   3. Mindmiester
   4. Milanote
   5. Mindnode
5. Emotion Writing

This is not a comprehensive list and doesn’t have an sponsoring. Follow along for my thoughts!